Marinated Cheese

This recipe was submitted by Stephan Rice in the Carolina Eats March Hoops Recipe Sweepstakes presented by Ingles.

Ingredients

Cheese

1 (8 oz.) block Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 (8 oz.) block Monterrey Jack Cheese
1 (8 oz.) block Gouda Cheese
2 (8 oz.) package cream cheese

Marinade

1/2 c. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 c. white wine vinegar
3 T. chopped fresh parsley
1 T. garlic, minced
1 (2 oz.) jar diced pimiento, drained
1 tsp. granulated sugar
3/4 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Instructions

• Combine all marinade ingredients in a jar or small bowl; shake or whisk vigorously. Set aside.
• Make sure cheeses are well-chilled (Tip: Chill in freezer for about 15 minutes to make cutting a bit easier). Cut blocks of Cheddar, Monterrey Jack, and Gouda in half lengthwise; then cut crosswise into ¼”-thick slices. Set aside. Cut the cream cheese, in thirds lengthwise; then cut crosswise into ¼”-thick slices. Arrange cheese slices alternately in a 9×13 casserole dish ensuring a slice of cream cheese is in between each variety.
• Shake or whisk marinade vigorously again before pouring over cheese slices. Cover and refrigerate at least eight hours.
• To serve, transfer cheese slices to a serving platter in the same alternating pattern. Spoon some of the marinade over the cheese, again.

Tips

• If the cheese becomes difficult to manage, just put them back in the freezer for a few minutes.
• Full-fat cream cheese is the way to go for this recipe!
• Once you stack the cheese slices, it helps to squeeze each hard cheese slice with cream cheese in between. It will make your cheese slices stick together, which helps when arranging them in your casserole dish.
• After a few hours, I like to spoon the marinade over the cheese slices to ensure every bit is covered.
• You can use whatever types of cheese you want. I promise it will be fantastic either way!

View more appetizer recipes from the Carolina Eats Cookbook.